By Onwukwe Ezeru
Special Correspondent, Umuahia
Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has apologised to civil servants over the federal bailout fund that was not enough to pay all the arrears of salary and pension.
“The state applied for N39 billion but was only given N14 billion and that fund cannot go round. Workers not yet touched by the bailout fund should exercise patience,” he advised.
He urged workers to be dedicated and shun financial leakages so that internally generated revenue (IGR) will rise to meet obligations.
Ikpeazu promised to find solutions to workers’ problems and stressed the need for dialogue between the government and Labour.
He applauded the courage of Abia workers and their resilience as well as the exemplary leadership of the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
He urged Labour to change its way of negotiation and think of how best to assist the government raise money to meet the needs of workers, whom he also asked to join hands with the government, saying the civil service is the pivot of development.
State NLC Chairman, Uchenna Obigwe, congratulated Ikpeazu over his electoral victory at the Supreme Court and implored other contestants in the governorship to accept defeat and team up with him to move Abia forward.
He, however, reminded Ikpeazu of the neglect of workers’ welfare and the anomalies in the civil service which he should take urgent steps to remedy.
Obigwe said the arrears of salary increase has not been paid since 2011 and “this affect mainly workers who do not belong to the core ministries and we appeal that workers in these parastatals be paid.
“Non payment of gratuities and their arrears to retirees in the state has become a source of worry to Labour and we urge the government to do something now.”
He also condemned the distortion of seniority in the civil service, whereby promotions are not based on seniority and workers reject posting.
He called on the head of service to ensure that godfathersim does not creep into public service, especially in councils, and advised workers not to allow themselves to be used to destroy the civil service because it is not a political party where appointments are used for compensation.
The state Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) thanked Ikpeazu for his “friendliness” towards workers.
It expressed hope that he would fulfill all his promises and advised workers to be patient with him.
It explained that Labour consists of three arms – NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC), and JPSNC – and urged the government to recognise that “no arm can exist without the other.”